Automatic boat bailer



June 26, 1962 J. H. REID AUTOMATIC SOAT BAILER Filed July 24, 1961 INVENTOR. da/m 25/0 Arrae/vsv s.

rates This invention relates to automatic boat bailers for use in speed boats, rowboats or the like, which is permanently secured to the boat and which operates to draw water from the bottom thereof by means of a suction created by the movement of the boat through the water.

The primary object of the invention is a boat bailer which will automatically remove water from a boat bilge as the boat moves through the water and one which can be used to remove water in the boat when the same is beached.

Another object of the invention is a boat bailer of relatively simple construction, neat appearance, and which is readily assembled and installed into the bottom of a boat.

Another object of the invention is a boat bailer having means to positively direct water into the same whereby water in the bilge or bottom of the boat will be removed irrespective of the rocking motion of the boat which may occur in rough water.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent by referring to the following detailed description when taken with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the bailer constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention shown installed in thebottom of a boat. The bailer as shown in FIG. 1 is in the inoperative position.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the bailer shown in FIG. 1.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational sectional view taken on lines 3-3 of FIG. 2 and showing the bailer when in an operative position.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional plan view taken on lines 44 of FIG. 3.

atent FIGURE 5 is an end elevational view of a slightly I modified form of the bailer shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 5, the bailer is in an operative position.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view of the bailer shown in FIG. 5 illustrating the same in an inoperative position.

FIGURE 7 is a sectional plan view of the bailer shown in FIG. 6 and taken on lines 7--7 thereof.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the automatic bailer 113 comprises a tube 12 having an inlet opening 14 adjacent the upper portion thereof and an outlet opening 16 adjacent the lower portion thereof. The upper end of the bailer is provided with a knurled operating knob 18 which when grasped by the operator is used to move the tube 12 from the inoperative position shown in FIG. 1 to the operative position shown in FIG. 3.

The tube 12 resides and is slidably mounted in a sleeve 211 secured in an opening in the bottom 22 of a boat. The sleeve 21 is provided with vertically spaced flanges 24 and 26. Flange 24 is in abutting engagement with the bottom of the boat and secured thereto by screws or a suitable means. The flange 26 is positioned and secured to the sleeve 20 adjacent the upper portion thereof. The flanges 24 and 26 are provided with rearwardly extending portions 28 and 31) between which a vertical pin 32 extends.

Pivotally secured to the vertically extending pin 32 is a swingable gate 34 which serves to direct water in the bilge of the boat into the inlet opening 14 when the bailer 11) is in inoperative position. The swingable gate 34 allows water to be directed into the opening 14 of the bailer 10 irrespective of the rolling or rocking motion of the boat when the same is being bailed in rough water. The provision of the swinging gate 34 prevents Water in the bottom of the boat from merely sloshing around as is the main disadvantage of bailers presently in use.

The sleeve 20 is provided with a cutaway side wall portion 40 complementary to the outlet opening 14 in the tube 12 whereby when the tube 12 has been moved to the position shown in FIG. 3 the openings 14 and 40 will be aligned and allow the free passage of water through the same and into the interior of the tube 12. Whenthe opening 40 in sleeve 20 and the inlet opening 14 in the tube 12 are in alignment as shown in FIG. 3, the swingable gate 34 is allowed to move freely across the inlet opening 14 in the tube 12. The extent of movement of the swingable gate 34 is determined by placement of a pair of stop screws 42 and 44 secured through the rearwardly extending portion 28 of flange 26. The placement of the screws is such that the gate is allowed to swing through an arc of substantially equal distance to the dimension of opening 14 in the tube 12.

The sleeve 20 is provided with an inverted L-shaped slot 46 into which a pin 48 secured to the tube 12 projects. The pin 48 residing in the vertical position of the slot 46 when the tube 12 is moved to the position shown in FIG. 3 prevents rotation of the same whereby the outlet opening 16 always faces in a direction towards the stern of the boat to prevent egress of water to the interior of the boat during forward motion thereof. When the tube 12 is drawn upwardly to the position shown in FIG. 1 and the bailer It) is in an inoperative position the tube is rotated moving the pin 48 into the horizontal portion of the inverted L-shaped slot 46 to lock the bailer in an inoperative position.

Adjacent the end of the tube 12 and the outlet opening 16 is a circumferential channel in which an O-ring seal 50 resides. When the tube 12 is moved to the position shown in FIG. 1, the seal 50 engages the interior portion of the sleeve 20 adjacent the bottom 22 of the boat to prevent water from entering the same.

When the bailer is in the inoperative position as shown in FIG. 1, the swinging gate 34 is held from movement by portion 50 of the tube 12 extending into the opening 40 in the sleeve 20.

In FIG. 5 there is shown a slightly modified form of construction of the bailer 10 shown in FIGS. 1 through 4. In the modified construction the bailer is provided with two diametrically opposed inlet openings 52 allowing water in the bottom or bilge of the boat to enter the interior of the tube 12 from either side.

A swinging gate 54 is positioned inside the tube 12 and mounted for swinging movement on an axle 56 whose axis extends longitudinally of the boat. The plane surfaces of the swinging gate 54 are adjacent the inlet openings 52 whereby water entering the opening 52 is directed downwardly when engaging the plane face of the swinging gate 54 to the interior of the tube toward the outlet opening 16 adjacent the bottom thereof.

A sleeve 58 is secured through an opening in the bottom 22 of the boat and the tube 12 is slidably mounted therein in the same manner as the tube 12 in the construction shown in FIG. 1. The sleeve 58 is slightly different in construction having only a single flanged portion 60 in abutting engagement with the bottom 22 of the boat secured thereto by suitable means.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that when water has entered the boat and settled in the bottom or bilge thereof, the bailer constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention is caused to remove the same by the operator grasping the knurled knob 18 rotating the tube 12 moving the pin 48 from 3 the horizontal portion of the inverted L-shaped slot 46 to alignment with the vertical portion thereof and moving the tube 12 downwardly to position the outlet opening 16 outside the boat adjacent the bottom thereof and aligning the inlet opening 14 with the cut-out portion 40 in the sleeve 20. lower portion of the tube 12 which extends below the bottom of the boat when-,the same is being driven in a forward direction creates a decrease in pressure at the rear portion of the tube adjacent the opening 16 therein which serves to draw water in the bottom of the boat through the opening 14 in the tube 12 and out through the opening 16. If the water in which the boat is being operated is rough whereby the boat proceeds with a side to side rocking motion, the water in the bilge or bottom thereof would normally slush from side to side and not enter the inlet opening in a quantity necessary to accomplish efficient bailing. In order to positively direct the water into the inlet opening 14 the swinging gate 34 mounted for movement on the vertical pin 32 moves in the direction of the rocking motion of the boat whereby water moving across the bottom of the boat encounters the same and is directed into the inlet opening 14 in the tube 12 to be drawn through the outlet 16 therein.

The form of the invention shown in FIGURES 1-4 illustrates the bailer mounted in the bottom 22 of a boat with the gate 34, inlet opening 14 and outlet opening 16 on the rearward side thereof. It will be apparent that the bailer 10 can be installed in the boat with gate 34 and the inlet opening 14 on the forward side and the outlet opening 16 cut diametrically opposite from the position shown. If installed in the above manner, the outlet opening 16 would be in the position as shown by the dotted line 16'.

While having described the invention in its preferred embodiments many modifications and variations will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art. However, such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview of the appended claims.

. I claim:

1. An automatic bailer for boats comprisingin combination a tube having wall portions defining inlet and outlet openings therein, a sleeve secured in an opening through the bottom of said boat, said tube slidable in said sleeve to position said outlet opening outside the boat, said inlet opening inside said boat, a swinging gate adjacent said inlet opening to direct water into the same to be drawn through said outlet opening.

V 2. An automatic bailer for boats as defined in claim 1 Movement of the water around the ment of said tube in said sleeve.

3. An automatic bailer for boats comprising in' combination, a tube having wall portions defining inlet and outlet openings therein, a sleeve secured in an opening through the bottom of said boat, said inlet and outlet openings being inside said boat when the bailer is in an inoperative position, said tube slidable in said sleeve to operate the bailer and position said outlet opening outside said boat, a swinging gate adjacent said inlet opening to direct water into the same whereby the water is drawn through the outlet opening.

4. An automatic bailer for boats as defined in claim 3 which further includes means to limit movement of said swinging gate through an are equal to the dimension of said inlet opening.

5. An automatic bailer for boats as defined in claim 3 including means to prevent movement of said swinging gate when the bailer is in an inoperative position.

6. An automatic bailer vfor boats comprising, in combination, a tube having wall portions defining diametrically opposed inlet openings adjacent one end thereof, wall portions of said tube defining an outlet opening adjacent the other end, a swingable gate in said tube adjacent said inlet openings to direct water into the interior thereof, a sleeve secured in an opening through the bottom of said boat, said tube slidable in said sleeve moving the bailer from an inoperative position wherein said inlet and outletopenings are inside said boat, to an operative position wherein said inlet openings are inside said boat and said outlet opening is outside said boat.

7. An automatic bailer as defined in claim 6 which further includes seal means in said tube adjacent said outlet opening and the end thereof engageable with said sleeve when the bailer is in an inoperative position to prevent egress of water into said boat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 135,656 Miller Feb. 11, 1873 2,989,020 Grinnell June 20, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 371,306 Great Britain Apr. 21, 1932 

